The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic testing devices, and more specifically to a handheld device used to test the starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine in a vehicle.
Internal combustion engines typically include a starting/charging system that typically includes a starter motor, a starter solenoid and/or relay, an alternator having a regulator (or other charger), a battery, and associated wiring and connections. It is desirable to perform diagnostic tests on various elements of starting/charging systems to determine whether they are functioning acceptably. It is typical during many such tests, e.g., starter tests, cranking tests, various regulator tests, etc., to adjust the operation of the vehicle while sitting in the driver""s seat e.g., starting the engine, turning lights and other loads on and off, revving the engine to a specific number of revolutions per minute, etc. Thus, it is desirable, if not necessary, to have one person sitting in the driver""s seat during many starter/charger tests to perform the tests. For other tests, e.g., battery tests, the user need not necessarily be in the driver""s seat.
Testers used to test the starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine are known. For example, the KAL EQUIP 2882 Digital Analyzer and KAL EQUIP 2888 Amp Probe could be used together to perform a cranking system test, a charging system test, an alternator condition test, and an alternator output test. The KAL EQUIP 2882 Digital Analyzer is a handheld tester. Other known testers capable of testing a starting/charging system include the BEAR B.E.S.T. tester and the SUN VAT 40 tester, both of which allowed a user to test the starter, alternator, etc. Other testers capable of testing a starting/charging system exist. The aforementioned BEAR B.E.S.T. and the SUN VAT 40 testers are not handheld testers; they are typically stored and used on a cart that can be rolled around by a user.
Additionally, some other handheld testers capable of testing a starting/charging system are known. These devices typically have limited user input capability (e.g., a few buttons) and limited display capability (e.g., a two-line, 16 character display) commensurate with their relatively low cost with respect to larger units. The known handheld starting/charging system testers have several drawbacks. For example, the user interface on such devices is cumbersome. Additionally, some handheld starting/charging system testers have been sold with either a shorter (e.g., three feet) cable or a longer (e.g., fifteen feet) cable. With the shorter cable, two people would typically perform the tests of the starting/charging system, with one person under the hood with the tester and one person sitting in the driver""s seat to adjust the operation of the vehicle. The longer cable would permit a single user to sit in the driver""s seat to perform the tests and adjust the operation of the vehicle, but the user would need to wind up the fifteen feet of cable for storage. Lugging around the wound coils of the long cable becomes especially inconvenient when the user wants to use the tester for a quick battery check, because the wound coils of cable can be larger than the test unit itself. Additionally, the user interface in such units is typically very cumbersome.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved handheld tester capable of testing a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine.
The present invention is directed toward an improved hand held starting/charging system tester. According to one aspect of the present invention, the portable handheld tester comprises a connector to which various cables can be removably connected to the tester. According to another aspect of the present invention, the portable handheld tester comprises an improved user interface that permits a user to review test data from previously performed tests and further permits a user to either skip a previously performed test (thereby retaining the previously collected data for that test) or re-do the test (thereby collecting new data for that test). According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable handheld tester performs a more complete set of tests of the starting/charging system. For example, the handheld portable tester preferably performs a starter test, three charging tests, and a diode ripple test. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the portable handheld tester performs an improved starter test. More specifically to an implementation of the starter test, the portable handheld tester performs a starter test in which the associated ignition has not been disabled, where a hardware trigger is used to detect a cranking state and then samples of cranking voltage are taken until either a predetermined number of samples have been collected or the tester determines that the engine has started.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine having a connector to which a test cable can be removably connected to the tester.
It is also an advantage of the present invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine that permits different test cables (e.g., the cables of FIGS. 5A, 7A, and 8) to be used with a single tester, thereby allowing a wider range of functions to be performed with the tester.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine that permits an optional extender cable (e.g., the extender cable of cable of FIGS. 6A and 6B) to be used, thereby allowing the tester to be used by one person sitting in a driver""s seat for some tests, but allowing a shorter cable to be used for other tests.
It is a further advantage of this invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine that allows the tester to be stored separately from the cable.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine that comprises an improved user interface.
It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine that comprises an improved user interface in which a user can review test data from previously performed tests and in which the user can, for each previously performed test, either skip that previously performed test or re-do the test.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine that comprises an improved user interface in which a user can review test data from previously performed tests and in which the user can, for each previously performed test, either retain the previously collected data for that test or collect new data for that test.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine that performs a more complete set of tests of the starting/charging system, preferably a starter test, three charging tests, and a diode ripple test.
It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide a portable handheld tester for a starting/charging system of an internal combustion engine that performs an improved starter test, preferably in which a hardware trigger is used to detect a cranking state and then samples of cranking voltage are taken until either a predetermined number of samples have been collected or the tester determines that the engine has started.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a detailed description of the invention.